REAL Action Figure Stands going out of business?...

[Old Fossil]

I got this email today. Have not bought any stands from then in a couple years, though I was always pleased with them. Very sturdy, durable, and good prices, I thought.


To All Our Loyal Customers:

Sadly, after almost 10 years, we are forced to end production
of both the Type 1 and Type 2 series stands - the molds have
simply worn out. We had a good run - over half a million units
have been sold in over 38 countries, from Australia to Yugoslavia.
All of us here at REAL wish to express our sincere appreciation
for your patronage over these many years. On a positive note,
all good things need not necessarily come to an end. We are
working hard on getting back in business with a variety of replacement
designs that would be made in several sizes to accommodate the
widest variety of action figure lines on the market. To do
this, we are going to need a lot of help with financing, design,
manufacturing, packaging, distribution, marketing, web presence,
etc. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining
our team as a business partner, please give us a call. Thank
you again, and may the force be with you.

Bonnie J. Roberts
Owner, Roberts Enterprises of America Limited

www.realstands.com

[Ji'dai]

Definitely my preferred display stand, though I would have liked a smaller diameter. Why is it so difficult for Hasbro to a make a damn two-peg stand like this?

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

Definitely my preferred display stand, though I would have liked a smaller diameter. Why is it so difficult for Hasbro to a make a damn two-peg stand like this?
It isn't. The new stands from HasbroToyShop.com have two pegs, but I don't know if they're on sale yet.

[Snowtrooper]

I don't understand why it would be so hard to make new molds. Its a simple shaped piece of plastic.

[Beast]

I don't understand why it would be so hard to make new molds. Its a simple shaped piece of plastic.
Well, he mentions needing financing to start up again. So in addition to the molds wearing out, it's probably the fact he doesn't have the money to support getting new molds cut. It is very expensive. But you'd think after all these years and all the stands he's sold, that he would have taken this into account.

[JediTricks]

Tooling is relatively fragile, a sloppy operator can destroy injection pins and cooling lines with ease, and that wear and repair takes its toll fast. A good mold can go down the toilet without much in the way of advance notice if an operator sets up the job wrong. Even if they use the exact same specs as their previous molds, the raw materials for a large mold like that can reach into hundred thousand bucks territory.